Machine for unwinding warp sheets



Dec. 29, 1925.

E. E. CARLSON MACHINE FOR UNWINDING WARP SHEETS Filed Feb. 5, 1925 4 Sheets$heet 2 INVENTOR EdJU/Z Z: hrlsola BY I a f ///5 ATTORNEY Dec. 29,1925. 1,561,113

- E. E. CARLSON.

IACHINE FOR UNWINDING WARP SHEETS Filed Feb. 5, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 @4 6 0 I ;;},i::l;= 5 i O WITNESSES. I INVENTOR Eula/in E. al'hoza a 1715 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES EDWIN E. CARLSON, OF CHESTER. PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR UNWINDING WARP SHEETS.

Application filed February 5, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. CnnLsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chester, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Unwinding Warp Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to unwinding machines and is primarily designed for use in unwinding the binding thread of the warp sheet which passes through the solutions employed for mercerizing yarns.

In mercerizing yarns, strands of yarn have usually been grouped in rope form and a number of groups concurrently led through the mercerizing solution. A binding thread is wound spirally about each group to hold loose ends of threads which may be broken in the mercerizing process to their group and prevent their clinging to and being wound around the rollers in the mercerizing mechanism. After the mercerizing is completed, the binding thread must be removed to permit separation of the strands composing each group, and a separate unwinding machine is provided for each group. It is common practice to pass 16 groups through the mercerizing unit at one operation and this involves providing 16 unwinding machines. It has recently been found advantageous to group the strands side by side in single ply thereby forming a single warp sheet and to bind the entire .warp sheet with a single thread instead of binding each group separately. I have designed a machine adapted for winding the warp sheet which is disclosed in Patent No. 1,554.,557.

The winding machine, by reversing its motion, functions as an unwinding machine but to attain the best results in unwinding, some additional features and some modification of other features are highly desirable. if not essential, and the object of this invention is to provide mechanism especially adapted for unwinding warp sheets or other continuous sheets.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view,

Figure 2 a side elevation,

Figure 3 a section on line 33 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 a section on line 44: of Figure 2,

Figure 5 a fragmentary top plan view showing on an enlarged scale part of the mechanism shown in Figure 2,

Serial No. 6,979.

Figure 6 a fragmentary side elevation showing on an enlarged scale part of the mechanism shown in Figure 2,

Figure 7 avertical section through the spool-carrier and spool,

Figure 8 a section on line 88 of Figure 6, and

Figure 9 an enlarged detail of a reversing screw.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the frame of the machine, 2 the top or table, 3 cross bars, 4 a guide slot in the table through which the warp is led, 5 an oblong raceway of slot type encompassing the warp and having guide walls 6 and 7 within and upon which a spool carrier 8 travels, 9 a drive sprocket and 10 a companion sprocket both disposed beneath the raceway, 11 a sprocket chain carried by the sprockets, encompassing the warp and having one of its links 12 detachably connected with a bearing block 13 adapted to support a spool-carrying spindle 14, 15 a sprocket chain spaced from chain 11. disposed parallel thereto and detachably fixed to a series of brackets 16 extending from the frame, 17 a sprocket wheel fined to the spool spindle and meshing with chain 15, 18 a reversing screw disposed parallel to the spool and rotatably mounted on a bracket 20 fixed to the spool carrier 21 a star wheel fixed to the reversing screw and adapted to engage with pins 22 extending upwardly from the frame, adjacent the outer periphery of the raceway, and to be rotated thereby. and 23 the spool upon which the thread is to be wound. The spool is rotatable upon itsspindlc 14 and is mounted upon spool-carrier 8. The spool-carrier, shown in detail in Figure 7, preferably consists of a sleeve 24 having an annular flange 25 and an enlarged part 26 and threaded at its outer end to receive a step ball bearing 27 having annular flanges 28 and 29. The lower member of the ball bearing is splined to the spindle and rotatable therewith. The upper member carries a friction disk 30 upon which spool 23 is seated. The lower flange 28 supports the carrier upon the guide Walls 6 and 7 of the raceway and flange 25 holds the carrier against upward displacement. Enlarged part 26 fits in the raceway slot and serves as a guide block for the spoolcarrier. It preferably has a straight inner face and an outer face curved to correspond with the arc of the end parts of the raceway, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure tending from the frame 1.

5, to provide a maximum of bearing face. A thread guide 31', shown in detail in Figure 8, is mounted to slide upon a guide rod 32 carried by bracket 20 and upon reversing screw 18. A follower 3'3 seated in a socket 34 has a head 35 adapted to travel in the threads of the screw. As the screw is cross threaded its rotation will cause the follower and consequently the thread guide to travel alternately upward and downward thereby causing the thread to be wound evenly in successive layers. The guide carries a'iixed hook shaped member 36 and afixed pin 3?.

A rock shaft 38 is mounted in suitable bearings in the uide and has a block 39 fixed thereto, rockably seated in a socket 40 between hooked member 36 and fixed pin 37. A pin 41 extends from the block in a plane between members 36 and 37'. The binding thread .42, as it comes from the warp sheet, passes through the hook of member 36, over pin 41, under pin 37 and then to spool 23. Rock shaft 38 has a crank arm 43 fixed to one of its ends and carrying an electrical contact 44 adapted to engage a fixed contact 45 on the thread guide. Brushes 46 and 47 are mounted upon the spool carrier and are connected by wires 48 and 49 with contact members 44 and on the thread guide. The brushes are adapted to respectively engage conducting strips 50 and 51 mounted upon insulating brackets 52 ex- Conducting strips 50 and 51 are in circuit, through a source ofcurrent 53 and a solenoid switch 54, which controls the motor 55, and contact of members 44 and 45 closes the normally open circuit and stops the motor.

The tension of the binding thread taking.

over pin 41 normally holds contact 44 out of engagernent but, if the thread should break, the weight of crank arm 43 rocks shaft 38 and contact44 engages contact 45 and closes the circuit through the solenoid switch and stops the motor.

Drive sprocket 9-ifs mounted upon a shaft 557. A drive shaft 58carries a spiral pinion 59 which meshes with a spiral gear 60 on shaft 5.? and imparts motion to the shaft and consequently to the drive sprocket and the movable chain.

In operation the binding thread which has been wrap-p ed spirally about the warp sheet leads through hook-shaped member 36 over pin 41 and under pin 37 on thread guide3l to spool 23 with which it is connected. M0- ti'on being imparted to drivesprocket 9 from drive shaft 58, sprocket chain 11 to which spool carrier 8 is connected, is caused to travel continuously around the warp sheet thereby causing the spool carrier to travel, in raceway 5, around the warp sheet. As the spool travels,- rotary motion is imparted to its spindle 14 by sprocket wheel 17 meshing with fixed sprocket chain 15. vAs the versing screw causes follower 33 and consequently thread guide 31 to travel alternately upwardly and downwardly alongside the spool thereby causing the binding thread to be evenly wound upon the spool in successive layers. As the spool is seated upon a friction member which 1s carried by a ball bearing member, the spool is free to yield to undue strains. In case the binding thread should brealr, crank arm 43, which has been held in raised position by the tension of the binding thread upon pin 41, drops by gravity thereby bringing electrical contact-44 into engagement with contact 45, thereby closing the circuit through the solenoid switch and stopping the motor.

While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it will be understood that the various parts may be changed without departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am at liberty to makesuch changes and alterations as fairly come within the scope of the appended-claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is 1. In a machine for unwinding warp sheets, an endless carrier encompassing the warp sheet. a spool carrier attached thereto, a spool spindle and spool carried thereby, a reversing screw rotatably mounted on the spool carrier, a thread guide ogeratively connected with the reversing screw, a series of pins disposed adjacent the path of travel of the spool carrier, and a star wheel fixed to the reversing screw adapted for engagement with the pins and to be rotated thereby.

2. In a machine for unwinding warp sheets, a frame, an oblong raceway mounted on the frame and encompassing the warp sheet. an endless carrier encompassing the warp sheet. means for imparting motion thereto. an endless chain encompassing the warp sheet and fixed to the frame, a spool carrier attached thereto and adapted to travel in the raceway, a spool spindle and a spool carried thereby, a sprocket wheel fixed to the: spoolspindle and meshing with the fixed chain, a reversing screw rotatably mounted on the spool carrier, a thread guide operatively connected therewith, a series of pins extending from the frame adjacent therace way and a star wheel fixed to the screw adapted to engage with the pins and to be rotated thereby.

3. in a machine for unwinding warp sheets, an endless carrier encompassing the warp sheet, a motor for imparting move ment to the endless'carrier, a spool carrier,

a spool spindle and spool carried thereby, means for rotating the spool, a bracket extending from the spool carrier, a standard extending from the bracket, a reversing screw rotatably mounted in the bracket, means for rotating the screw, a thread guide slidably mounted on the standard and operatively connected with the screw, a pair of insulating conducting strips arranged adjacent the path of travel of the spool carrier and in circuit with a switch controlling the motor, a pair of brushes on the spool carrier contacting with the conducting strips, a fixed and a movable contact member on the thread guide, and means on the thread guide whereby tension on the thread normally holds the movable contact memher in open position and release of tension allows it to close and thereby close the switch circuit and stop the motor.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

EDWIN E. GARLSON. 

